


Breathe

by letitmclennon



Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: Fluff, John is a pain in the ass, M/M, Paul said so, SO MUCH FLUFF, Swimming Pool, bet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 13:38:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15887139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letitmclennon/pseuds/letitmclennon
Summary: "Paul?""Mh?""What about a bet?""A bet?" Paul repeated, looking puzzled."Yeah.""What kind of bet?""Who stays underwater for longer…"





	Breathe

A water jet washed Paul when John performed in his famous "cannonball".

It seemed to move all the water in the pool, as if he wanted to empty it.

Paul, sitting on the edge, legs swinging in the crystal-clear water, found himself wet like a drowned rat.

Too bad that when he complained to John about the effectof his acrobatic dive, the latter just laughed amused, "You're on the edge of a pool, Paul, you're supposed to _be_ wet."

Then he started to splash him with water, obviously not satisfied with the result of his dive.

"John... Stop it... I can’t... breathe..."

John stopped, with a big smile on his lips, "So come into the water, you idiot. I really can’t understand why you're still there, you know?"

"I was waiting for the suncream to be absorbed, it doesn’t work if you wash it away." Paul retorted snobby, sticking his tongue out.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Sensitive Skin, we certainly do not want you to get a rash."

"Joke if you want, Johnny, but it's a serious matter." Paul snorted, running a hand over his arm, "And you should put it on too. You're so fucking pale."

Paul nodded to him and John looked at his own white skin for a few moments.

"Well, the pale is this summer’s latest fashion, you know, and then if I have to put it on, I want you to rub it on me."

"Forget it." Paul snapped with a snobby pout, before diving into the pool.

John followed him with his eyes, while the young man with a few strokes reached him and then passed by.

He decided to follow Paul, improvising a freestyle that would surely have made any beginner pale. When his friend was within his reach, John reached out and grabbed Paul's foot.

The young man was unbalanced forward and his head ended almost underwater, risking to make him drink some of that water that smelled of chlorine. Coughing slightly from the failed drowning, Paul stopped swimming and brought both feet on the pool floor.

"Are you crazy, John? I could die."

"Always exaggerated. Of course, I would have saved you." John pointed out, with a cheeky wink, "I would never let you drown."

"Oh yeah, I can imagine how." Paul said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's true."

"This would be the gratitude for helping you with those fucking tape recorders."

"No, the gratitude was 'hey Paul, what about swimming in the pool?' Plus the borrow of the swimsuit, of course, and the suncream." John replied, with a wave of his hand.

"However, this doesn’t excuse the attempted murder."

"You really are a little princess, aren’t you? Have you already found a prince who can bear you?"

Paul rolled his eyes, "What's the matter with you today, John? You are a pain in the ass."

"Does that mean _you haven’t_?"

"It means _fuck off_."

"What kind of language is this? You ought to show more respect for the landlord." John said, way too much outraged, "Above all because he allows you to use his pool."

"Let’s face the truth though, he could have the swimming pool thanks to me."

"Oh really?"

"Sure. What's this? _She loves you? I want to hold your hand?_ "

John laughed, "I think it's _I_ _want to hold your hand_."

"So, my darling, I own half of this pool."

"Hey, don’t push it."

"Why not? I don’t have a pool. I have every right to use yours."

"And this would be my business because...?"

"Because we are mates and partners."

"Ah, right. What a drag. "

Paul laughed, before completely plunging in under water to get his hair wet. John looked at him carefully.

How stupid was Paul? He was a colossal stupid, the most idiotic of the idiots... yet, damn it, John couldn’t live without that stupid anymore.

Ridiculous how he grew fond of him. And it wasn’t a simple affection, like "Hey, Paul, let's go for a drink down at the pub like old times."

There had never been a "like old times", because Paul had come into his life like a thunderbolt and he had never left it. To John , Paul would always be that little boy with a childish round face, singing and playing much better than him, and that incredibly had attracted John's attention first, and later all the rest of him.

That was why John always teased him. In some ways Paul was still that kid who got upset at John's stupid jokes, before he understood the reason behind his behavior.

Now Paul knew him well, more than anyone else in the world, but from time to time his pride still pounded and this only created interesting bickering that did nothing but further fuel John’s desire to make fun of him.

"Paul?" John murmured, approaching his friend who was floating on his stomach.

Difficult to resist the temptation to dive into him for another joke.

"Mh?"

"What about a bet?"

"A bet?" Paul repeated, looking puzzled.

"Yeah."

"What kind of bet?"

"Who stays underwater for longer…"

"And what do we win?"

"I don’t know, a hearty handshake?"

"Oh, a handshake, thank you very much. Very exciting, John."

"That’s what I can offer. I doubt you want money."

"This is also true."

"Why don’t you propose then?"

Paul looked at him mischievously, before biting his lip and smiling, "If I win, I'll just have to kiss you."

John looked at him for a moment, surprised, and then laughed.

God, if Paul drove him crazy!

"And if I win, I'll be happy with the handshake, thank you."

"I'm in."

After shaking hands, John and Paul exchanged a look and a half smile.

"Ready, Johnny?"

 

"Ready."

"On the count of three?"

"All right."

"One…"

"Two…"

_"Three!"_

The two young men took a deep breath and went under water. John tightened his eyelids, holding his breath and began counting the seconds that were ticking away. Chlorine burned in his eyes, but he had to sneak a peek at what Paul was doing to see when he would win.

But Paul didn’t have his eyes open. He held them tightly, frowning, almost uncomfortable.

Time passed and John was surprised to see how much he was resisting. Apparently this was his hidden quality. Why hadn’t he discovered it before? He could have used it somehow.

The same couldn’t be said for Paul who seemed really in trouble. But not wanting to surrender, he was struggling with all his strength to carry on.

John noticed his commitment, his not wanting to lose, as if that damn kiss was a prize that was really worth, but on the other hand John didn’t want his friend to risk to drown for something so stupid.

For this reason, without even realizing it, he approached Paul and kissed him, holding his face tightly in his hands and blowing in his mouth as much air as possible.

Paul opened his eyes wide, surprised, clinging to John's hands and squeezing them to keep them close.

However when the air really ended up for both of them, John was forced to go back to the air and recover some oxygen.

Paul followed him the next moment. They both looked red in the face, with the breath slowly fading.

"What did that mean?" Paul asked, running a hand through his hair and smoothing it backwards.

"Well it was your prize, right? It was obvious that you were about to win."

"Was that supposed to be my prize?"

"Aye."

"John..." Paul sighed, "That was a CPR. One very awkward, if I have to be honest."

"Did you exchange me for a Red Cross nurse?"

Paul laughed, but his eyes gave him the sweetest of looks, "Do you know what that means?"

 "That I would be a bad Redcross nurse."

“There’s no doubt about this, but no, I didn’t mean that."

"So what?"

"I won." Paul commented, lowering himself back into the water to cover his mouth.

"Did you, huh?"

John copied him, approaching him and grabbing his hands to draw him closer.

"Of course, after all, I’ve been underwater for longer." Paul said, then wrapped his arms around John's neck, "And I know it was thanks to you, but nobody forced you to give me some of your air."

"You're just an ungrateful asshole, you know."

John started to push him away, but Paul stayed curled around him. In fact, he also wrapped his legs around John's waist.

As if he wanted to stop him from running away.

"So now I have to claim my prize."

"Okay, but you'll have to do it underwater. You gotta deserve this fucking prize." John snorted, but the hands that grabbed Paul let us guess how little annoyed John really was.

At all, actually!

"Then see you down there in three seconds."

"So many?"

Paul laughed mischievously, before winking at him, "Three..."

"Two..."

"One..."

_Splash._

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I know I have to focus on the new long, but I found this old fanfiction in my pc. I t was complete and I never post it, not even in the Italian fandom.   
> So I decided to give it a chance. I've just finished translating. Hope it doesn't have many mistakes.   
> Thanks to Vale for correcting it. :3  
> See you on saturday for I'll get you- second chapter.   
> Chiara


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